LAPD releases video of fatal police-involved shooting of teen
Saying that the the Los Angeles Police Department wants to set the record straight about one of last weekend's two police-involved shootings, Police Chief Charlie Beck On Tuesday released surveillance video recorded shortly before the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Carnell Snell.
There had been debate among members of the public as to whether Snell was armed before police fatally shot him on Saturday following a chase, but in the video made by a third party, it appears that Snell has a gun in his hand.
Snell is seen facing the camera with what appears to be a handgun, then turns and runs away, still holding the weapon, finally leaving the view of the camera. A police officer is seen running after him.
Shortly after the video ends, Snell encounters a shut metal gate, turns and pulls the gun out of his waistband, Beck told reporters. The chief said officers felt "this was an imminent threat." An officer fired three rounds, Snell jumped over the fence and "made a similar motion back toward the officers" at which point an officer fired another three rounds, causing Snell to collapse, Beck said.
The shooting is the latest in what appears to be a recent uptick in police-involved shootings of black men, some unarmed, that are setting off protests in Tulsa, Okla., Charlotte, N.C., El Cajon, Calif., and now, Los Angeles. It is one of two that ignited demonstrations in Los Angeles over the weekend. In the other shooting, police responded to reports of a man with a gun and fatally shot a Latino man not yet identified who had a replica weapon.
In the Snell shooting, residents have questioned whether the teen had a gun and have said even if he did, he was not attempting to use it in a threatening way toward police. Beck said misinformation was increasing tensions.
"I think there is significant misinformation that has been put out about both the shootings this weekend and I think it’s important that we put forward information to clarify so that people can put these events, tragic as they are, in perspective," Beck told reporters on Tuesday. "This is not done in any way to denigrate Mr. Snell. This is merely to correct what I think is a faulty public record about Mr. Snell."
Earl Ofari Hutchinson, a Los Angeles-based activist, prodded the LAPD to release video to the Snell shooting. He said via social media that the release still does not achieve what it should.
"The LAPD video of Snell with a gun doesn't show how Snell was shot, which is still the compelling question that still demands an honest answer," he said.
Hutchinson also said via a statement that the release of the video goes against the contention by police agencies that video cannot be released right away.
"The quick release of the Snell slaying videotape within days after the shooting is the best argument against LAPD officials contention that tapes can't be released immediately," Hutchinson said. "Videotapes, whether they support or contradict the police version of a controversial shooting, can and must be released promptly to assure transparency and restore public trust in the impartiality and integrity of investigations."